JonnieReb

As both a hunter and a rookie geocacher, I'm glad this question was raised. My thoughts are that Geocaching is a year round activity, while hunting has very specific and short seasons. We can geocache outside of hunting season so why risk an accident (I hate that word - there is no such thing as a hunting "accident"...) and regardless of safety and any personal views on the ethics of hunting, why ruin a hunter's day by traipsing through his favorite spot on opening day. My advice would be to stick to caches that you know are in public places like parks, urban/suburban locations, or other areas where hunting is prohibited. Save the other stuff for after hunting season. Why risk it?? And if you do go into the woods during hunting season, for GOD'S sake please wear as much Blaze Orange as you can so that you can be seen from afar. Not just a hat, but a vest or jacket as well. As much as you can wear. It's not a matter of being mistaken for a deer... it's a matter of seeing you standing 200 yards on the other side of that deer before a hunter pulls the trigger. Hunters are trained to be sure of both their target AND their backstop before they fire. Make sure that you are highly visible so that you don't mistakenly become that backstop. It's easy to distinguish between man and deer. It's not so easy to spot a man 300 yards away in the woods wearing a brown jacket. The hunter may be upset that you were there, particularly if you've wandered onto private land. but at least you'll be alive to hear about it! Besides, many states require that you wear orange in the woods anyway during hunting season, whether you are hunting or not. Check your local/state laws. One last thing... it's your job to be alert as well! You should be looking for orange the whole time you are in the woods, and if you spot a hunter, make sure he sees you and sees what direction you are travelling in, then quietly and quickly leave the area. Keep moving in the direction he last saw you travelling in and don't double back. That way he'll have an idea of where you are and when you will be safely out of range. Hope this helps!

I am new to geocaching, and have only been visiting this site for about a month. I recently discovered the locationless caches and was wondering why no new ones are being accepted right now. It seems like an interesting twist on caching. Just curious. "When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice." - Native American proverb

Thanks to all for the info! "When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice." - Native American proverb

I am looking for MapSource 1:24k topo maps for my eTrex Vista, but all I can seem to find at that scale are National Parks maps. I am specifically looking for maps of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and perhaps Western/Upstate New York, but can't seem to find them. Two questions... 1) Do these maps exist, and 2) Is 1:24k necessarry? Can I get by with 1:100k, or will the lack of detail be noticable? Thanks! "When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice." - Native American proverb

I am looking for MapSource 1:24k topo maps for my eTrex Vista, but all I can seem to find at that scale are National Parks maps. I am specifically looking for maps of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and perhaps Western/Upstate New York, but can't seem to find them. Two questions... 1) Do these maps exist, and 2) Is 1:24k ncessarry? Can I get by with 1:100k, or will the lack of detail be noticable? Thanks! "When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice." - Native American proverb

Quills - I bought a Vista on Monday, and it's my first GPS unit. After reading the manual and playing around with the unit, I wondering if it wasn't a little overkill for me. (The thing does everything but drive the car for you!) But then I was watching a show on the history channel (or similar) about special forces, and they talked to an Air Force spotter who was travelling with a group of rangers in Afghanistan. He was saying how the gov't issue GPS unit he was given was large and heavy and cumbersome and that most spotters opted for a "consumer handheld unit like this", and lo and behold, he held up a Vista! That really bulked up my confidence that I had made the right choice. If it's accurate enough to put air strikes on target, then it's good enough for me to use while hunting and geocaching! "When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice." - Native American proverb

Thanks! I will check that out.

I'm new to GPS units and new to geocaching, but very excited to give it a try. I just bought an eTrex Vista. My question is this... I noticed that most caches are listed by their coordinates. I have been through my user manual and the FAQ's on the Garmin site, but I haven't figured out how to enter those coordinates into my GPS to save them as a waypoint. Is there a way to enter waypoints by coordinates?? (That may be a stupid question, but hey, I'm a newbie so it's ok, right? ) Thanks - JonnieReb [This message was edited by JonnieReb on July 02, 2003 at 07:32 PM.]